Tashkent – Urgench – Khiva – Kunya-Urgench – Ashgabat – Mary (Merv) – Bukhara – Nurata – Aydarkul – Samarkand – Shakhrisabz – Tashkent

The most complete journey across two Silk Road countries: Khiva, Kunya-Urgench and Merv, the white marble capital Ashgabat, Bukhara, then a night in a yurt in the Kyzylkum desert before Samarkand.

Highlights

• Kunya-Urgench and Merv, two UNESCO sites in Turkmenistan
• Ashgabat and its one-of-a-kind architecture
• A night at the yurt camp, a camel ride and a picnic at Lake Aydarkul
• Khiva, Bukhara, Samarkand and Shakhrisabz
• Two border crossings fully arranged by us

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1 — Tashkent. Arrival in Tashkent, meeting at the airport and breakfast in a local home. Tour of the old town: the Khazret-Imam complex, home to one of the oldest Korans in the world, the Kukeldash madrasa and Chorsu bazaar. Lunch. In the afternoon, the modern city: Amir Timur Square, the Museum of Applied Arts and a few stations of the famous metro. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 2 — Tashkent / Urgench / Khiva. Morning flight to Urgench (1 h 30), then drive to Khiva (35 km). A full day in Ichan-Kala, a UNESCO World Heritage site: the Kunya-Ark citadel, the Kalta-Minor minaret, the Mohammed Amin-Khan madrasa, the Juma mosque, the Tash-Khauli palace and the Pakhlavan Makhmud mausoleum. Climb the Islam-Khodja minaret for a view over the city. Dinner at the Toza-Bag palace and overnight at the hotel.

Day 3 — Khiva / Kunya-Urgench / Ashgabat. Drive to the Shavat border and cross into Turkmenistan in the morning. Visit Kunya-Urgench, the former capital of Khorezm: the Kutlug-Timur minaret and the mausoleums of Turabek-Khanym and Najmeddin Kubra. Drive to Dashoguz and evening flight to Ashgabat (1 h). Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 4 — Ashgabat. A day discovering the capital: the Neutrality Arch, the Independence Monument, the main mosque and the Russian bazaar. Turkmen dinner with a folk programme. Overnight at the hotel.

Day 5 — Ashgabat / Mary / Merv. Early transfer to the airport and flight to Mary (40 min). Visit ancient Merv, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the great cities of the Silk Road: the Gyaur-Kala and Erk-Kala fortresses and the mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar. The Mary History Museum. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Mary.

Day 6 — Mary / Farab / Bukhara. Drive to the Farab border (about 300 km) and back into Uzbekistan. Continue to Bukhara (80 km). Visit the Ark citadel, then free time in the old town. Dinner in a traditional house and overnight at the hotel.

Day 7 — Bukhara. The Samanid mausoleum, a 10th-century masterpiece of brick architecture, and the Chashma-Ayub mausoleum. The Bolo-Khauz mosque. The Poi-Kalon ensemble: the Kalon minaret, the Kalon mosque and the Mir-i-Arab madrasa. The trading domes, the Ulugh Beg and Abdulaziz-Khan madrasas, the Magoki-Attari mosque and Chor-Minor. Dinner with a folk show and overnight at the hotel.

Day 8 — Bukhara / Nurata / yurt camp. Drive to Nurata (about 3 h 30) and lunch in a traditional house. Continue via the village of Yangikazgan to the yurt camp, in the heart of the Kyzylkum desert. In the late afternoon, camel ride in the dunes. Dinner around the campfire, with songs by a Kazakh akyn (bard). Overnight in a yurt.

Day 9 — Lake Aydarkul / Samarkand. Drive to Lake Aydarkul. Picnic on the shore with grilled fish from the lake, swimming in season. Continue to Samarkand (about 3 h 30 in total). Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 10 — Samarkand. The Gur-Emir mausoleum, Tamerlane’s tomb, and the Rukhabad mausoleum. Registan Square and its three madrasas. Lunch. The Bibi-Khanym mosque, Siab bazaar and the Shah-i-Zinda necropolis. Free time. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 11 — Excursion to Shakhrisabz. Drive to Shakhrisabz over the Takhtakaracha pass (1 h 30). Tamerlane’s birthplace: the remains of the Ak-Saray palace, the Jahongir mausoleum, the Dorut-Saodat ensemble and the Kok-Gumbaz mosque. Lunch. Return to Samarkand. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 12 — Samarkand / Tashkent. In the morning, the Ulugh Beg observatory and the memorial complex of Imam al-Bukhari, just outside the city. Lunch. Afrosiyob fast train to Tashkent (about 2 h 15). Farewell dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 13 — Tashkent. Breakfast and transfer to the airport for your international flight.

Transport during the tour

Route	Mode	Duration
Tashkent – Urgench	Domestic flight	1 h 30
Khiva – Shavat – Kunya-Urgench – Dashoguz	Air-conditioned vehicle + border	full day
Dashoguz – Ashgabat	Domestic flight	1 h
Ashgabat – Mary	Domestic flight	40 min
Mary – Farab – Bukhara	Air-conditioned vehicle + border	6 – 7 h
Bukhara – yurt camp	Air-conditioned coach	3 h 30
Camp – Aydarkul – Samarkand	Air-conditioned coach	3 h 30
Samarkand – Shakhrisabz – Samarkand	Air-conditioned coach	2 × 1 h 30
Samarkand – Tashkent	Afrosiyob train	2 h 15

Price includes

• Accommodation for 12 nights in double rooms, category of your choice, including 1 night in a yurt
• Full board, from lunch on day 1 to breakfast on day 13
• English-speaking guides in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan
• The domestic flights Tashkent – Urgench, Dashoguz – Ashgabat and Ashgabat – Mary, and the train ticket Samarkand – Tashkent
• Transfers and transport in air-conditioned vehicles
• Entrance fees to the sites listed in the itinerary
• Assistance at both border crossings
• The camel ride, the evening around the fire and the picnic at Lake Aydarkul
• The Turkmen folk dinner and the dinner with folk show in Bukhara
• Mineral water in the vehicle

Price does not include

• International flights
• The Turkmen visa and the Turkmenistan entry and exit fees
• Travel insurance
• Photo and video fees at monuments
• Drinks, tips and personal expenses

Good to know

• Turkmenistan requires a visa issued on a letter of invitation: we prepare the file, allow several weeks before departure.
• Swimming in Lake Aydarkul in summer; the rest of the year the picnic is without swimming.
• Turkmen flight timetables may change the order of days 3 to 5.

Prices on request — our prices depend on group size, dates and hotel category.

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